Bali as a Waypoint for Illegal Immigrants

Bali enforcement officers, working in two locations, have arrested 42 illegal immigrants of Iranian descent. The Iranians were believed to be preparing to soon depart for Australia.

According to Beritabali.com, combined forces from the Bali police and immigration office arrested the 42 people in two locations. 27 were apprehended in Kerobokan near Kuta while another 15 were captured in Sanur – both in the southern regency of Badung.

An immigration spokesman on Saturday, May 11, 2013, confirmed to the press that all 24 Iranians had entered Indonesia via the Soekarno-Hatta airport in Jakarta.

The Iranian are now being held at the immigration detention center in Jimbaran. Authorities are seeking to trace the syndicate that facilitated the group’s movement to Bali.